Northern Irish comedian Patrick Kielty has been announced as the new host of the Irish Late Late Show, taking over from Ryan Tubridy, who will step down as host at the end of the month after 14 years in the role.
Kielty, from Dundrum in County Down, will become the fourth permanent presenter of the famous show when he takes over in September at the start of the Late Late Show's 61st season on air.
He had been strongly linked with the role over the last two weeks and was previously tipped to take over when iconic host Gay Byrne stepped down in 1999.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be the next host of The Late Late Show," Kielty said in a statement.
"To follow in the footsteps of Gay, Pat and Ryan as the next custodian is a real honor and I can’t thank RTÉ enough for giving me the chance to be a part of the next chapter of such an iconic show.
"I’m also genuinely humbled to become part of Friday nights for so many Irish people, at home and around the world. I can’t wait to get started on one of the greatest jobs in television."
Kielty began his stand-up career as host of The Empire Laughs Back, Northern Ireland's first comedy club.
He has since launched a successful career on television and radio, hosting the BBC Northern Ireland chatshow "Patrick Kielty Almost Live" between 1999 and 2003.
He received a BAFTA nomination for his 2018 documentary "My Dad, The Peace Deal and Me", while his most recent film "Patrick Kielty: 100 Years of Union" won a Royal Television Society award.
His stand-up comedy tours have also sold out across Ireland and Britain over the last two decades, while he has been a guest on the Late Late Show on multiple occasions.
Tubridy will present the Late Late Show for the final time on Friday, May 26. The long-time host of the show announced his decision to step down in March, stating that it had been a "privilege" to host the show for so long.
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